The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) is carrying out a public consultation on the development of a national plan for Irish language provision in Early Learning and Care (ELC) and School-Age Childcare (SAC).
The commitment to develop national plan provides recognition of the importance of high quality early learning and care that can support children’s holistic development and recognition that the quality of early learning and childcare provision is key to the realisation of benefits for children, including those relating to early language development.
First 5: A Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families and the 5 Year Action Plan for Irish Language 2018 – 2022 both contain commitments relating to the further development of supports for Irish language provision in ELC and SAC. First 5 includes commitments to introduce measures to ensure that children in Gaeltacht areas have access to Irish-medium ELC and SAC provision, and also to develop mechanisms to provide Irish-language supports to ELC provision where there are high proportions of children who are learning through the medium of Irish. The 5-Year Action Plan for the Irish Language includes a commitment to develop a comprehensive plan for the sector.
Key themes that this consultation process seeks to address include:
- Increasing opportunities to access Irish-medium ELC and SAC provision
- Strengthening and supporting the delivery of Irish-medium provision
- The role of the Irish language in English-medium early learning and childcare settings
- Equality and inclusion in ELC and SAC
- Needs of both the native learner and learners of Irish as a second / additional language in ELC and SAC
We want to hear your views and consider them in the development of a comprehensive plan.
Online survey – Complete a short online survey, available in both Irish and English. You can access the survey at this link .
Focus Groups – You can also attend one of the on-line or in person focus groups that will be happening around the country during the consultation period. Details of the focus groups and how to take part in them will be listed on this page as they are confirmed.
In person
| Date | Time | Location | Target Group | Medium |
| 11/06 | 6pm | Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, Co. Chiarraí | All / Gach duine | Gaeilge (with option for English contributions following) |
| 12/06 | 6pm | Mary Immaculate College, Limerick | All Gaeilge | |
| 12/06 | 7pm | Mary Immaculate College, Limerick | Gach duine | English |
| 18/06 | 6pm | DCEDIY Office | All Gaeilge | |
| 18/06 | 7pm | DCEDIY Office | Gach duine | English |
| 25/06 | 6pm | Gaillimh | All English | |
| 25/06 | 7pm | Gaillimh | Gach duine | Gaeilge |
Online focus groups:
Date Time Target Group Medium
| 13/06 | 6pm | Practitioners and professionals | Gaeilge |
| 14/06 | 1pm | All | Gaeilge |
| 14/06 | 1pm | All English | |
| 14/06 | 6pm | Practitioners and professionals | English |
| 17/06 | 6pm | Focus on Irish medium settings | Gaeilge |
| 17/06 | 6pm | Focus on Irish medium settings | English |
| 20/06 | 6pm | Focus group parents (trí Ghaeilge) | Gaeilge |
| 20/06 | 6pm | Focus group parents (in English) | English |
| 20/06 | 7pm | Current or recent students of Early Learning, Childcare | Béarla |
| 20/06 | 7pm | Current or recent students of Early Learning, Childcare | Gaeilge |
| 24/06 | 6pm | All stakeholders: Particular Focus on Irish in English medium Early Learning and School-aged Childcare settings | Gaeilge |
| 24/06 | 6pm | All stakeholders: Particular Focus on Irish in English medium and School aged Childcare settings | English |
| 25/06 | 6pm | Focus on school-aged childcare (school-aged children) | Gaeilge |
| 25/06 | 6pm | Focus on school -aged childcare (school-aged children) | English |
If you are interested in taking part, please express you interest here : fiosru@mic.ul.ie fiosru@mic.ul.ie
Written participation – You can send us a printed version of the survey or a written submission by email to: qualitydevelopment@equality.gov.ie or by post to:
Comprehensive Plan for Irish Language in ELC/SAC Public Consultation,
Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth,
ELC/SAC Quality Unit,
Block 1,
Miesian Plaza,
50 – 58 Baggot Street Lower,
Dublin D02 XWI4
Your inputs into the consultation will help to shape the development of a national plan for Irish language provision in Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare.
A report on the consultation findings will be published.
If you have any queries about this consultation please email qualitydevelopment@equality.gov.ie
Personal, confidential or commercially sensitive information should not be included in responses. If personally identifiable details are included, they will be deleted.
All submissions and survey answers are subject to release under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act 2014 and are also subject to Data Protection legislation. DCEDIY Data Protection
In order to advance the implementation of the Government’s 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030, the Government committed to a number of actions relating to ELC in the Plean Gníomhaíochta 2018-2022 (Action Plan for the Irish Language 2018-2022). These are found under action area 3 Family Transmission of the Language – Early Intervention. These include “the development of a comprehensive plan”.
5 Year Action Plan for Irish Language 2018 – 2022/23 link to main objectives of the 5 Year Action plan ishere
The First 5: A whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families (2019-2028) is here
Consultation opens on 6 June 2024
Consultation period closes 5 p.m. 12 July 2024